CEMS History

The CEMS Alliance is ‘arguably the most ambitious partnership in business education’. ‘At a time when the modern European Union did not yet exist, the Berlin Wall still stood, and the majority of business was conducted at a local, not international level, the pioneer program allowed students to travel between member schools and countries for their studies, equipping them with the necessary skills to succeed in the global economy.’

In 2002, the CEMS MIM was streamlined into a comprehensive one-year programme with a globally harmonised and thoroughly quality controlled curriculum. True to its founding principle - to have management education contribute to the building of bridges across all borders and boundaries, CEMS welcomed its first member schools from outside Europe in 2008. Since 2018, CEMS has been present on all inhabited continents of the world.

With the adoption of the CEMS Vision 2025, inspired by the fundamental challenges faced by humanity in the 21st century, the CEMS Global Alliance is emphasizing its commitment to developing responsible leaders for a more open, sustainable and inclusive future.

Dates that made the history of CEMS

1988

• The official document sealing the creation of CEMS is signed on 2nd December by Bocconi University, ESADE, EESC HEC Paris and the University of Cologne.
• P&G joins as one of the first CEMS Corporate Partners.

1989

• Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Louvain School of Management become CEMS member schools
• The first edition of the CEMS Master was launched at the four founding member schools in September 1989.

1990

• Copenhagen Business School, the University of St.Gallen and WU (Vienna University of Economics & Business) become CEMS member schools
• 90 students were awarded the CEMS Master in 1990 during the first CEMS Graduation Ceremony.

1991

• The The London School of Economics and Political Science and Stockholm School of Economics become CEMS member schools.

1992

• The Norwegian School of Economics becomes a CEMS member school

1996

• Corvinus University of Budapest, Prague University of Economics and Business and SGH Warsaw School of Economics become CEMS member schools.

1998

• Aalto University School of Business becomes a CEMS member school.

2002

• UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School becomes a CEMS member school.

2008

• CEMS celebrates its 20th anniversary at the Paris-hosted Annual Events.
• 6 schools are ratified as full members, including the first from outside of Europe: The University of Sydney Business School, Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo - FGV, Nova School of Business and Economics, Graduate School of Management, St. Petersburg University and National University of Singapore.

2009

• Koç University Graduate School of Business and Ivey Business School are ratified as full members of CEMS.

2010

• Keio University is ratified as the 25th full member school at the Annual Events. 11 companies are also voted in as new corporate partners, bringing the total to a record 68.
• CARE International and Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International become the first ever Social Partners, a new CEMS model based upon the same level of participation in the programme and network as Corporate Partners.

2011

• The total number of CEMS Corporate Partners reaches a new record of 77.
• Transparency International and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations become the third and fourth CEMS Social Partners.
• Tsinghua University School of Economics & Management are ratified as full members and scheduled to deliver the CEMS MIM from the 2012-13 academic year.
• The number of CEMS alumni reaches the 7,000 mark following the 2011 CEMS MIM graduation ceremony.

2012

• HKUST Business School is approved as the 27th CEMS member school.
• The entering cohort for the 2012-13 academic year is the first to reach the 1000 mark.
• Indian Institute of Management Calcutta joins as the 28th CEMS Academic Member

2013

• Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez joins as the 29th CEMS Academic Member
• CEMS Celebrates 25 Years since it's founding in Barcelona, where the official founding took place.

2015

• Korea University Business School joins as the 30th CEMS Academic Member

2017

• The American University in Cairo School of Business joins as the 31st CEMS Academic Member bringing the CEMS MIM to all inhabited continents on Earth

2018

• Cornell SC Johnson College of Business joins as the 32nd CEMS Academic Member

2020

• University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business and Universidad de los Andes - Colombia
  join as the 33rd and 34th CEMS Academic Members
• WWF joins CEMS as a Social Partner